Chapter 3:The Clone Arrives

Kim Do-hyun (김도현) sat alone in his dark apartment. The room was small and cramped, with walls stained a dull beige. A rusty fan buzzed in the corner. His bed, still unmade, was pushed against the wall. A half-eaten snack bag lay on the floor. The air smelled faintly of instant noodles and yesterday’s socks. The only light came from the flickering screens in front of him. Six monitors glowed in the dimness. They were stacked like a fortress of glowing glass. Each one showed a different game, all running at the same time. Characters moved on their own, fighting monsters, picking up items, leveling up. Do-hyun leaned back in his chair, arms folded over his soft belly. "This is my life," he whispered. He was a macro user. A digital ghost. Someone who built silent programs that played games without needing him. The bots farmed gold, hunted monsters, and collected rare loot. Then he sold those items for real money, trading code for cash. It was not honest work, but it paid just enough for rent, food, and more games. He scratched his stomach. Lately, things had gotten worse. The games were dying. Servers were shutting down. Player numbers were dropping. Companies were getting better at banning macro users. His world was shrinking. Do-hyun sighed, staring at the code on one screen. It looked like a puzzle made from alien letters. "I need to build a new bot," he muttered. But his fingers didn’t move. His eyes drifted. His thoughts wandered. His bracelet shimmered faintly in the dark. That thing... from the portal. That strange, glowing world where people could awaken. He looked at it again. The bracelet wrapped around his wrist was black and silver, smooth like glass, but warm like skin. At its center, a small light pulsed slowly—like a heartbeat. Do-hyun narrowed his eyes. "Maybe... I should try it," he whispered. He sat up. The chair creaked under his weight. He closed all the game windows. One by one, the screens went black. The room grew even darker. Then he closed his eyes. He reached for that feeling inside his chest. That soft, burning presence he had first felt inside the portal. A warmth. A glow. A strange pull in his mind. His breath slowed. His thoughts sharpened. And then he called it. In his mind, a command: Summon clone. The air trembled. A soft wind passed through the room, even though the windows were closed. A low hum buzzed in his ears, like a distant engine starting far underground. Then— Boom. The floor shook. A blast of light and smoke exploded in the middle of the room. His chair slid back an inch from the force. Do-hyun jumped. A shape stood in the smoke. Round. Soft. Familiar. As the smoke cleared, he saw it. And his jaw dropped. It was him. Exactly him. Same messy hair. Same sleepy eyes. Same round belly poking out slightly. Same mole under the chin. But completely naked. Do-hyun froze. The clone stood there in silence. Its chest rose and fell slowly. Do-hyun’s lips parted. "Are you... my clone?" The figure nodded. Its voice was calm, quiet, and completely real. "Yes, Master." Do-hyun blinked. He stepped forward, feet dragging on the floor. "Can I touch you?" "Yes, Master." He extended his hand very slowly. His hand trembled when he put one finger on the shoulder of the clone. The skin was warm, soft, smooth. Like his own. Do-hyun opened his eyes wide. Is this... this real? He stepped back. "Wait. Dress up. It is strange." The clone made no reply. Two seconds after, garments started to appear on its body. They were identical to Do-hyun’s. Loose shirt. Shorts. Even socks. The heart of Do-hyun beat faster. "Give orders?" he said. The clone answered, "Yes." He drew a breath. "Okay. Squat." The clone crouched. "Stand." The clone rose up. Do-hyun blinked. "All right. Sit down and stand up. A thousand times." The clone started moving. Up. Down. Up. Down. Time and time again. At the fiftieth rep, it was sweating on its forehead. It began to breathe heavily. It blushed. Do-hyun stood and observed. It was as though he had been watching himself work out. The stamina of the clone was evidently equal to his. He stroked his chin. This is unbelievable. Then his phone rang. He looked at it. A message. It was from Park Joon-ho (박준호), his childhood friend and constant pain in the neck. Yo. I heard you woke up. Ya got some trash skill, you fat piece of pudding. Do-hyun sighed. He answered with one hand. Yeah. That was precisely what I got, you ass. He sent it. At that moment, a slight sound of a chime was heard in his head. A second blazing blue window appeared in front of his eyes. [Stamina +0.001] He blinked. "What?" He had not stirred. The clone was the only one working out. Do-hyun sank back in his chair with wide-opened eyes and a slowly curling, crooked smile on his mouth. Then he spoke in a low voice, as though he were dreaming. "I believe I just discovered my new bot."